Washington Wizards: 4 most impactful players for playoff push
By Keith Cork
3. Davis Bertans
In his last five games, Davis Bertans has gone 13 for 44 from behind the arc. That’s good for a 29.5 percent mark, and not all that good at all.
It’s a wonder the Washington Wizards somehow have a winning record over that span (he missed a game that was a loss), but regardless Bertans needs to do the one thing he came to D.C. to do: shoot threes.
On this current Washington Wizards squad, Davis Bertans may just be the second best scoring option behind Bradley Beal, so he needs to play like one. And that means doing more than just hitting three’s too, he has to prove he’s not a defensive liability and he can handle the added focus of the other team’s defense.
Because let’s face it, the fact remains that when he has played 31 or more minutes this season for the Wizards, their record is 3-12. That’s absolutely awful, but a little out of context as Bertans has had to step in and fill the void for a lot of missing players.
Still, if we’re going to pay him this offseason to keep him, which is still kind of up in the air, they will need to see him produce in big minutes. People are talking about starting him at the small forward position in order to keep a spot for Rui Hachimura and with these numbers, it just doesn’t seem possible.
If they want to make a playoff push, Bertans will need to play better. And if he doesn’t, Tommy Sheppard and the Wizards front office need to reconsider their bid to re-sign him in the offseason too.